A CSEA move that cheers Blakeman's challenger

Daily Point

Seth Koslow visits with the editorial board

During a 90-minute endorsement interview with the editorial board Wednesday, Seth Koslow, the Democratic candidate for Nassau County executive, addressed a wide range of issues, from policing to tax assessments, to gambling at the Nassau Hub and the future of Nassau University Medical Center.

Koslow’s appearance before the board came as others are releasing their own endorsements — or non-endorsements — in this fall’s local election cycle. Perhaps most significant: The Civil Service Employees Association, or CSEA — the county’s largest public sector union — isn’t endorsing in the top Nassau race at all.

At the heart of the non-endorsement: The CSEA’s ongoing fight with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman over its members’ health care coverage, a fight that dates back to 2023, when the most recent contract included a change in their health care plan.

“When we considered every race this political season, it came back to the last two years and the health care battle we were facing,” a source familiar with the CSEA’s thinking told The Point.

As a result, the CSEA did not endorse either Blakeman or Koslow, a current county legislator from Merrick. And the union chose to avoid endorsing any incumbent in the county legislative races too, except for Olena Nicks, who only took office in March of this year.

Koslow, who took office in 2024, told the editorial board that he was “the unfortunate collateral consequence of being a newcomer” when the health care dispute began.

Koslow said he screened with representatives of CSEA during an hourlong interview. Sources said that Blakeman was invited but did not participate in an interview with the union, although he did fill out a questionnaire.

“County Executive Blakeman secured strong support from CSEA members after giving them a very generous contract — one in which county CSEA employees pay roughly half of what state CSEA employees pay for health care,” Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle said.

Koslow, however, said the union’s decision not to endorse Blakeman “speaks volumes about the relationship the incumbent county executive has with those unions.” And, he said, an official non-endorsement doesn’t mean the union and its members might not support him informally.

“I think it helps me,” Koslow said. “I think it’s an indictment on him and what he’s done for them. And I do think they’re going to tell their members to vote for me and push me from behind the scenes.”

For now, at least officially, the union is staying on the sidelines.

“It goes back to respect,” the source familiar with the union’s thinking said. “You better respect the membership because they’re the ones who make the county look good every day.”

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Final Point

The tab for Blakeman's militia badges

Nassau County paid $4,900 for 43 official badges for County Executive Bruce Blakeman to give those in his “provisional emergency special deputy sheriff” program, which critics characterize as his personal militia.

There is scant other information on the Jan. 31 invoice from KnR, an East Meadow firm that supplies plaques and law enforcement badges. The bill, released by the county in connection with a lawsuit over the program, is yet another crumb of information for taxpayers about Blakeman’s mysterious program. He swore in 26 deputies on Dec. 30, 2024, but the photos of the event show the men only holding paper certificates.

The case challenging the legality of the program was filed by Nassau legislators Debra Mulé and Scott Davis. Blakeman lost his first effort to dismiss the lawsuit on Tuesday, clearing the path for the scheduled depositions to move forward. While the county is making another effort to get the case dismissed, the deposition schedule has yet to change.

“We are gratified the judge recognized the defense’s motion for what it was, an effort to derail the case to avoid having Mr. Blakeman make an appearance,” said Josh Kellner, the attorney for Mulé and Davis. While the actual deposition of Blakeman, who is seeking a second term this fall, is not a public proceeding, the transcript of it will be part of the court record.

If the Oct. 15 date holds, will Blakeman show up?

Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti, a Republican also running this year, failed to make a timely appearance to testify in state Supreme Court Wednesday in a lawsuit by his Democratic opponent, Joe Scianablo, who is challenging the legality of the Republicans swapping Ferretti into the job, minutes after Donald Clavin Jr. stepped down as supervisor in August.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciollii@newsday.com

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